Thank you Kristen for discussing Bronte/Austen with me, LOL. That was fun. I was thinking when I was done responding how wonderful it is that we can have opinions on temporal things and yet it does not affect our love for the brethren because we have bigger fish to fry!
Namely, eternity!
So, May is dedicated to Heaven. Yes, I will putter around about everyday things too. But Heaven will be in my heart this month and therefore on my fingertips (rather than tongue:). Oh, the joy set before us! I start to ache inside and my chest starts to feel like it will burst when I think of heaven. I love how John Piper talks to his daughter about heaven. She honestly says that she does not want to go until she gets married. That was me. I even told God that. "Lord, I love you but I want to get married and have babies first!". I seemed to think that was better than heaven and something heaven can wait for. In my naivety I did not understand that the sin nature is a battle all the way through those stages of life and the same struggle I had to obey my parents then, would be the struggle to obey God the rest of my life. What I did not understand was that this is not a burden, but a joyful privilege! I am just beginning to understand these truths and God is showing me how he wants me to have the joy of heaven in the everyday life as well. But that's a rabbit trail.
So, I now burst for heaven, I long for it like nothing else. Longing for heaven is longing for Jesus. The last year I have related to Mary who poured her perfume on his feet and just longed to stay there. I long to be with my Savior. How deep my love has grown for Him! Not the iconic Jesus of religion, the Jesus of the universe, the creator and sustainer of my every breath! The giver of my joy, the helper and teacher of my heart (by way of His Holy Spirit), the holder of my purified position before the Father. My Jesus! Heaven is you!
And so much more...... that is what I want to talk about this month.
If anyone wants to read along with me, I will be reading Randy Alcorn's book "Heaven". I will be reading 16 pages a day and reflecting on scripture about heaven that is presented. Alcorn is a great C.S. Lewis fan and parallels a great deal with the imagery of the Narnia Chronicles. So, for fun I will also be reading those to the kids. I look forward to another run through them and especially "The Last Battle" which is so wonderful a parallel of heaven. Lewis GOT heaven. John Piper has said that Alcorn "Gets" heaven, and I agree. Even his wonderful reflections are not near the surface of the reality awaiting us:
" THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD,AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN,ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM." 1 Cor 2:9
If you can get excited about what has been revealed to man's heart.... oh, how excited you would be if you knew fully! I don't think our brains now could handle it.
So, walk with me....
Today I start my two month dedication back on the Figure 8 system and hour a day of walking. I commit to it because we are on break and that is a better time. I have 20lbs left to loose. I will be starting up another accountability site for those interested in joining me in similar goals and needing accountability. It will be a password site private only to the sisters who are struggling!:)
I'll come back here and let you know when it's going. I will continue to update my meters here and will be re-setting the walking back to zero. I covet prayers. I long to pray for others who are working on these goals.
"Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor." Ecc 4:9
(Looking at this pic above reminds me of an experience I had the other day. I walked out of Albertson's and there was a dark sky with a brilliant rainbow. Everyone in the parking lot was looking up at it. There was not alternative, it screamed out in glory! I thought to myself "what do they think when they see it?" "Do they hear God crying out 'I'm Here, and I love you! I've made a way! I plan to keep my promises!" Or do they see a scientific chance meeting of molecules. Sadly, I think it's the later.
Don't forget to do the polls on the side bar! Thank you!
(And don't forget to share a favorite recipe for The Cupboard on this post)
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